July 12, 2024 | Toronto, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in Canada, affecting approximately 3.6 million people. More than 200,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Due to the aging and growth of the Canadian population, the number of people with diabetes is expected to continue to rise.

Today, Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Brampton South, on behalf of the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, announced the latest milestone and the seven finalists in the Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Challenge.

This challenge is part of innovative efforts by the Public Health Agency of Canada to support chronic disease prevention in Canada. It was launched in fall 2022 in partnership with Impact Canada and encouraged innovators to develop and implement collaborative community approaches that address the barriers and influences that can lead to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Each finalist will receive a prize of $600,000, for a total of $4.2 million, to demonstrate the effectiveness of their concept. The Challenge will enable Canadian communities to maintain their health by providing them with tools and resources to learn and adopt healthy behaviours to prevent type 2 diabetes or mitigate negative health conditions associated with diabetes.

Finalists will have 18 to 21 months to implement their concepts. The results will be presented to the panel of judges for review and evaluation, and up to two winners will be selected to receive a grand prize of $1.25 million.